Inscriptions at St. Sophia (Ohrid)

[maco2envy]

With all these natural advantages and an unconquerable army under his command, the man started on his campaign, and seized the city of the Thessalians, as we have said. My father, Alexius Comnenus, made his counter-preparations as if for a battle with the mighty Typho, or the hundred-handed Giant, and girt himself for the fray with an antagonist worthy of his steel, by summoning all his strategic knowledge and courageous spirit. And before he had shaken off the dust of his late contest, or washed the gore from his sword and hands, he marched out, his spirit all aflame, like a grim lion against this long-tusked boar, Basilacius. Soon he reached the river Bardarius (Vardar) (for that is its local name), which comes down from the mountains near Mysia, and after flowing through many intervening districts, and dividing the country round Beroea and Thessalonica into East and West, it empties itself into our so-called South sea.

- Chapter VII, Book I, The Alexiad

[maco2envy]

My theory behind the fact that Byzantine authors classicized most medieval Macedonians as "Mysians" and the region as "Mysia" is because Macedonia is the ancestral homeland of the ancient Phrygians, who inhabited the Mysia region together with Mysians in Anatolia.

In addition,

The classical historian Strabo groups Phrygians, Mygdones, Mysians, Bebryces and Bithynians together as peoples that migrated to Anatolia from the Balkans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygia

and

Little is known about the Mysian language. Strabo noted that their language was, in a way, a mixture of the Lydian and Phrygian languages. As such, the Mysian language could be a language of the Anatolian group. However, a passage in Athenaeus suggests that the Mysian language was akin to the barely attested Paeonian language of Paeonia, north of Macedon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysians

[Carlin]

[Carlin]

According to the Life of St. Naum Sts. Cyril and Methodius taught "the Moesian and Dalmatian genus" the Christian faith.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Originally Posted by Carlin15

According to the Life of St. Naum Sts. Cyril and Methodius taught "the Moesian and Dalmatian genus" the Christian faith.

Just a bit of context. There are multiple historical biographies of Saint Naum of Ohrid. The first was issued in the 10th century and the second in the 16th century. Both of these were produced in Macedonia and written in the so-called Church Slavonic (i.e. Medieval Macedonian) of their respective periods. Then there are biographies written in Greek from later periods. The dates of some are contested and some contain inaccurate information - except the first one. The quote you mention comes from the 16th century biography. Here is the full paragraph:

This venerable and great father of ours, Naum, grew up in Mysia. Raised by his noble parents, he considered all nobility and wealth as weeds, so he clung to the co-apostle Constantine the Philosopher and his brother Methodius, who went and taught the Mysian and the Dalmatian peoples, and he accompanied them everywhere, even to old Rome.

A few points. The reference to Saint Naum growing up in "Mysia" suggests the terminology in the text may have been influenced by a Greek source. There is no evidence that he grew up in Bulgaria. As part of their mission, Cyril and Methodius taught in Moravia and Pannonia. The author is either using esoteric terminology or referring to the continuation of the missionary work by their students and those that followed. Further down the text, it refers to the Bulgar ruler Boris as a "tsar", even though he was never referred to as such whilst alive. It also refers to the "Bulgarian" language or script, even though nobody during that period referred to the language or script of Cyril, Methodius and their disciples by that name. None of the above is mentioned in the first biography, which was written decades (rather than centuries) after the passing of Saint Naum.

[Carlin]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

Just a bit of context. There are multiple historical biographies of Saint Naum of Ohrid. The first was issued in the 10th century and the second in the 16th century. Both of these were produced in Macedonia and written in the so-called Church Slavonic (i.e. Medieval Macedonian) of their respective periods. Then there are biographies written in Greek from later periods. The dates of some are contested and some contain inaccurate information - except the first one. The quote you mention comes from the 16th century biography. Here is the full paragraph:

A few points. The reference to Saint Naum growing up in "Mysia" suggests the terminology in the text may have been influenced by a Greek source. There is no evidence that he grew up in Bulgaria. As part of their mission, Cyril and Methodius taught in Moravia and Pannonia. The author is either using esoteric terminology or referring to the continuation of the missionary work by their students and those that followed. Further down the text, it refers to the Bulgar ruler Boris as a "tsar", even though he was never referred to as such whilst alive. It also refers to the "Bulgarian" language or script, even though nobody during that period referred to the language or script of Cyril, Methodius and their disciples by that name. None of the above is mentioned in the first biography, which was written decades (rather than centuries) after the passing of Saint Naum.

Thanks for clarifying - good analysis.